I have to admit this is not my favorite time of the year. No, not basketball season but the time when fans go into full hyperventilation mode anticipating the commitments of a player they likely have never seen play. I've never understood why there is more attention paid to prospects who may or not may land at UConn over those who have led the UConn program to dizzying heights of success.

I've heard all sorts of rumors regarding Kiah Stokes and most border on the absurd especially she is going to commit to Iowa because she is holding a press conference in Iowa. Well, she's from Iowa, she goes to high school in Iowa and is one of the more well publicized high school female athletes from Iowa so why wouldn't she have a press conference. She's hardly the first to make her announcement that way. I would expect that if Hillhouse's Bria Holmes holds a press conference to announce her college decision a year from now, we will be in attendance regardless of what school she is picking. As for UConn fans getting worked up about the location of the ceremony, all I can say is that if she moves it to Sara Hammond's high school, I believe she may commit to Louisville but other than that, they are trying to read the tea leaves when there is nothing to read from them.

Personally, I find it refreshing the way the Stokes family has handled it. They have not turned it into a daily soap opera and today they will divulge the news when there is news to divulge. The Stokes have handled the recruiting process with plenty of grace and dignity and should be commended for not falling for the trap of turning it into a circus which can happen in this "post the story first on the internet" age we live in.

I don't believe for a minute that she is waiting for Elizabeth Williams to pick between Duke or Tennessee before making her announcement. I haven't really been following Williams' recruitment since she dropped UConn from the equation but something tells me that if she has an announcement planned for this afternoon, she either knows what Williams is planning to do or simply does not care.

Finally, the belief that UConn has a recruiting problem if they don't land Stokes is laughable. If they land Breanna Stewart next year, UConn would have secured a commitment from a player ranked No. 1 in at least one recruiting service five times in a six-year span. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis is a big-time talent and Brianna Banks may also be an impact player. Things didn't work out so badly the last time UConn secured a two-player class as Maya Moore and Lorin Dixon have been members of two national-championship teams. All that being said, it would not surprise me in the least if Stokes commits to UConn. I've said many times that recruiting should be viewed in two year increments because every kid UConn missed out on this year merely opened the door for them to get a larger class next year. I understand that "fan" is short for "fanatic" and it's a very small percentage of supporters who go overboard but I feel fairly confident in saying that the UConn women's basketball team does not have a recruitment problem.

For those interested in following the decision live, it will be reported as it happens at the IowaPrepSports site

Thankfully this afternoon, the recruiting part of my job (at least for the high school seniors) will be done and I can focus on what I prefer to concentrate on and that is reporting on the nation's top-ranked women's basketball team.